Generally, when a communication participant is not available at a subscriber station of a communication network of the type considered above, a signal is emitted to any other switching center of the respective communication network, at which the respective communication participant is henceforth available. This known method, also referred to as call signal redirection, means that all calls that have not been accepted at the first mentioned switching center of the respective communication network are directed to the respective other subscriber station of the communication network. Additionally, these calls result in the emission of corresponding acoustic report signals (bell characters) at the respective other subscriber station. This is sometimes experienced as disruptive, especially when the communication participant mentioned is available by mobile radio in the communication network. This situation is also experienced as especially unfavorable, when the respective communication participant is traveling abroad with their mobile radio device.
In order to remedy the problem set out above, it is generally known that a “mailbox function” or “call answer function” can be activated for the switching center of the respective communication network, at which the communication participant mentioned was hitherto available. The messages stored by activation of the functions just mentioned can then be retrieved by the respective communication participant by remote inquiry. This however assumes that a corresponding message has been transmitted by the respective calling communication participant. If however the respective calling communication partner has not left a message but canceled the link again shortly after it was established, there is no information available that can be evaluated for the mentioned remote inquiry, i.e. no subscriber number of the respective calling communication participant.